Few titles capture a book’s spirit as perfectly as Interesting Facts About Space. It’s filled with genuine, fascinating tidbits about the universe...so many that I couldn’t help feeling a little giddy each time I learned something new, just like Enid’s mom. Yet beneath the cosmic trivia lies a thoughtful exploration of mental health, woven together with such care and wit that it feels quietly brilliant.

The story feels like a blend of rom-com, mystery, and contemporary fiction all rolled into one. Throughout the book, Emily Austin revisits themes of phobias, anxiety, relationships (both romantic and platonic), paranoia, and deep self-doubt. These threads surface again and again through Enid’s inner monologue, which swings between moments of sharp self-awareness and frustrating overthinking. At times, I completely understood her; other times, I found myself sighing, “Really, Enid?” Still, her anxious spiral felt honest and human. The mystery that runs beneath it all ties together beautifully in the end, leaving me satisfied. Not everyone processes trauma the same way, and I appreciated the chance to explore Enid’s tangled thoughts and her endless supply of space facts along the way.

This book will always hold a special place in my heart, and I know I’ll remember it fondly. It can be hard to find meaningful representation, so when I realized Enid was half-deaf, I sat back and cried.

I hadn’t realized how much I needed that.

So thank you, Emily Austin, for putting that piece of me on the page... for showing the world how I feel. I think I feel a little less alone now... my feelings seen and validated, and something small healed inside of me.